Washington and Sunderland West was a constituency in Tyne and Wear represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Sharon Hodgson, a member of the Labour Party. Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to moderate boundary changes - including losing the St Anne's ward to Houghton and Sunderland South, and gaining the Borough of Gateshead wards of Birtley and Lamesley from the (abolished) constituency of Blaydon - it was reformed as Washington and Gateshead South.

Constituency profile

The town of Washington has a well-preserved historic centre with a museum dedicated to the first US president, on its outskirts, the family home of George Washington. Residents have lower levels of wealth and education than UK averages.

Boundaries

The City of Sunderland wards of Castle, Redhill, St Anne's, Washington Central, Washington East, Washington North, Washington South, Washington West. Washington and Sunderland West was created for the 2010 general election when the Boundary Commission reduced the number of seats in Tyne and Wear from 13 to 12, with the constituencies in the City of Sunderland, in particular, being reorganised. The constituency was formed from parts of four abolished constituencies:

Political history

All of the predecessor seats were held with majorities exceeding 5,000 votes and 5% of the vote before the 2010 election. Electoral calculus, an academic website, gave a provisional ranking as the 28th-safest Labour seat in the United Kingdom, and the 11th-safest Labour seat in England based on the results of 2005.

Members of Parliament

Following a ballot of members on 8 September 2007 Sharon Hodgson MP was selected as the Labour candidate, she represented 38% of the new seat which came from her previous seat of Gateshead East and Washington West which was abolished.

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

For 2015, the British National Party announced Pauline Renwick as a candidate, but she failed to stand. 2010 vote share changes and swing are based on notional results (a calculation of how the seat would have voted if it had existed at the previous election).